Artpark welcomes the legendary voice of Supertramp, Roger Hodgson

Roger Hodgson, the legendary voice of Supertramp, brings his "Breakfast in America Tour" to Artpark on Aug. 21. (photo by Rob Shanahan)

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Vocalist brings his "Breakfast in
America Tour" to Lewiston

Preview by Joshua Maloni

Tuesday's Artpark
concert will be wonderful.

A miracle.

Beautiful.

Magical.

And
all the fans in their seats, well, they'll be singing so happily,
joyfully, playfully, watching Roger Hodgson, the legendary voice of
Supertramp.

An acclaimed
singer, Hodgson also wrote the tunes that fueled Supertramp's 60
million record sales (including "The Logical Song"). He is
bringing his "Breakfast in America Tour" to Lewiston on Aug. 21.
Hodgson will headline the "Tuesday in the Park" concert series at
Artpark.

"I've been
touring mostly internationally for years and now it's time to come
home and play for my fans in America," he wrote in an email. "Fans
in the U.S. have been asking me to perform in their cities and we are
trying to fit in as many shows as possible. I am calling it the
'Breakfast in America Tour.' This is my largest tour in the U.S. in
30 years - since departing Supertramp - 34 shows. Some people
have written in that they are coming to several shows, so I am
excited to see familiar faces and new faces in my audiences."

Hodgson, a native
of Portsmouth, England, and vocalist Rick Davies formed Supertramp in
1969. After a pair of less-than-successful albums, the band hit a hot
streak. From 1975 to 1985, Supertramp released hit songs "Bloody
Well Right," "Give a Little Bit," "The Logical Song," "Take
the Long Way Home," "Breakfast in America" "It's Raining
Again" and "Cannonball."

Chart-toppers
then, these songs still resonate with fans today.

"I think the
reason these songs have stood the test of time so well is because
they came from a very pure place and were not contrived," Hodgson
said. "My songs have always expressed who I am and what I was
feeling at a certain point in time. And because they were very
self-honest with my longing for love, longing to know God, feelings
of loss or confusion or joy, I can understand why so many people can
relate to what I sing about. Because they are common emotions that
people feel. I have never known how to write a song any differently.
They are and have always been what my heart and soul needed to
express, and that is maybe why they have touched people in such a
deep way."

These songs still
move Hodgson.

"They are deeply
personal and do still bring out the emotions I felt when I was
writing them," he said. " 'Lord is it Mine' is one that I love to
play in my concerts. It came from a very deep place inside of me. I
get goosebumps when I perform 'Fool's Overture.' I love the spirit
of 'Give a Little Bit' and what it ignites in an audience as peoples'
hearts open and they all sing along with me. Then there is the
evergreen 'Take the Long Way Home,' the fun-filled 'Breakfast in
America,' the joyful 'Dreamer.' "

Ticketholders will
have no shortage of songs to sing along to on Tuesday.

"Many fans are
telling me that they experience the sound and spirit of Supertramp in
my concerts. I'll be bringing my four-piece band with me and
performing all my songs people want to hear from my time with
Supertramp," Hodgson said. "You can expect to hear 'The Logical
Song,' 'Give a Little Bit,' 'Dreamer,' 'School,' 'Breakfast in
America,' 'Take the Long Way Home,' 'It's Raining Again,' 'Fool's
Overture' ... as well as some of my later material - like 'In
Jeopardy,' 'Lovers in the Wind' and 'Death and a Zoo.' "

Hodgson's Artpark
concert promises to be one of the most age-diverse shows this summer.

"It's amazing to
look out and see three, even four generations of fans all singing and
dancing together," Hodgson said. "Many young people have told me
that they became fans through listening to my songs as their parents
played them, and now they are ardent fans. My shows are a great
experience for the whole family."

Roger Hodgson
headlines the Aug. 21 "Tuesday in the Park" concert at Artpark,
450 S. Fourth St., Lewiston. Tickets ($5 through Saturday; $10 Sunday
through showtime) are available at www.artpark.net.

Grand Island's
Stacy Clark will open for Hodgson. The video for her song "Sign"
was recently featured on MTV.